


Carolina Coast

by johnnylovebot



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Rating May Change, Suh Youngho | Johnny is Whipped, T rating for cursing, i didnt plan for this at all im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnnylovebot/pseuds/johnnylovebot
Summary: When Johnny moves 2 hours away from the city, for the first time in his life, he feels lonely.But Johnny's always been good at making friends, and so he embarks on a mission to weave his giant self into this small town he's now in. Except, his neighbor probably doesn't want him there. But Johnny Suh will not be Johnny Suh if he wasn't stubborn, and so begins his self-afflicted challenge: turn his pretty neighbor into a friend.(Who knows, maybe even more.)
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 47
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay so someone suggested me this song which is also the title, Carolina Coast by Aaron and the roaring twenties and now here we are lol. this was meant to be a one shot and very short but i guess thats out the window now jhsdjaksd

Moving to the countryside, a 2 hour drive away from the bustling noise of the city at the age of 28, was never in his plans.

Johnny was a city boy, born and raised. He grew up surrounded with the busy and noise that is familiar with urban life. He was used to high buildings and crowded streets and congested traffic and busy nights, not to vast expanses of land and greenery with wide roads and a stillness and quiet that, if he was being honest, was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. 

So yes, moving here was not in his plans _at all_ . It was so unlike him that when Johnny announced the news to his ragtag group of friends, they stared him down for a good minute before breaking out into a raucous laughter, asking him if he was actually serious. Mark even refused to believe it was real, even after a week, until it was actually time for them to say goodbye, his eyes going wide muttering a _holy shit, I actually thought it was just a joke_ , before getting pulled into a group hug and then promptly trying to hide his tears. He and Johnny have always been the closest, and now, as Johnny stands in front of this new quaint building that he will now be calling home, he kinda wishes that he at least brought Mark here with him to help him move.   
  
The house in front of him is not exactly unfamiliar to him. He’s been here a few times, as he visits his mom once a year at least, but to see it now, without the face of his mother to welcome him with her signature _“John-ah!”_ as soon as he steps outs of his car, is new. The curtains are not drawn, the yard is dirty with dead leaves, and the plants on the windowsill which were once always blooming with his mother’s tulips, are now withering. It’s crazy how a few months of loneliness has changed the house, he thinks, as he makes his way towards the door. 

It’s been six months already since the passing of his mother, and yet as he steps into the threshold, it’s almost as if the time passed was non-existent at all. There, inside the house, time was almost suspended. Memories of his mother flooded him, and although he was not one for tears, Johnny could easily cry right then and there as he takes in how his mother has been living the last few moments of her life. His mom’s favorite blanket was sprawled on the couch. A cup of coffee, which has now evaporated, leaving only the stains on the cup, sat atop the coffee table beside an open book and his mom’s phone. If he tried really hard, he can almost see it, his mother reading and enjoying her afternoon caffeine, probably humming a tune under her breath. 

Brain aneurysm, the doctor had explained which mostly shows no signs or symptoms. It was just a tragedy really that it had ruptured before being detected and that his mother was alone when it happened. His mother had never liked going to hospitals, always stubborn when her son tells her that she needs it especially with her age, so it went undetected. It was an ungodly hour at night when the hospital called him to inform him that his mother was in the hospital, apparently having even called 911 by herself before collapsing.   
  
Johnny blinks away the tears and starts cleaning the place up, starting with the now empty coffee cup and washing it in the sink. He carefully picks up his mom’s blanket, noticing that it still smells faintly like her, and folds it neatly, setting it at the one end of the couch. The book his mother has been reading, which _of course_ was Johnny’s own work, has been put back on the shelf. He starts wiping the thin film of dust that’s slowly settled everywhere and by noon, he’s almost done (he silently thanks his mom for always being organized and clean, he didn’t have much work to do). All that’s left to do really is move in his things from the trunk of his car and start making the place more... _him._   
  
As he walks back, a movement at the neighboring house catches his attention. From the window, he can see his neighbor cooking up something and that’s when he realizes that noon time is lunch time. As if he knows he’s being watched, his new neighbor looks up and catches his eye and a moment of recognition flashes in his eyes. He’s seen him a few times in passing before during one of his visits, but still that doesn’t stop him from getting caught off guard with his striking visuals. Because he really is pretty, Johnny thinks and it’s a shame that his name always slips his mind despite his mother telling him numerous stories about her kind neighbor that’s always willing to lend ingredients when she runs out.   
  


Johnny flashes a small smile his way, but his neighbor just stares at him for a few more seconds before he looks back down and continues with whatever he was doing. _So much for having a_ kind _neighbor I guess_ , he thinks as he continues his trod back inside the house with a bunch of boxes containing what little significant items he had brought from his previous apartment. It's by afternoon, the sunset nearing, that he finishes moving in and arranging his necessary items inside the house.   
  
With a sigh, he plops down all his 6ft glory unto the living room couch and pats himself on the back for a job well done. He was exhausted, moving is tiring, after all, and it’s made even more obvious when suddenly he hears his stomach growl, suddenly reminded that he has forgotten to eat lunch in the midst of all the moving and organizing.   
  
Johnny isn’t a bad cook per se, he likes to think he can hold well himself in the kitchen, his skills in omelette making a thing his friends like to praise about him. However, cooking a somewhat nutritious meal after moving so much shit is not something that Johnny is looking forward to. So he grabs his keys and heads out, hoping to find someplace to eat in this small town he’s in.   
  
It takes about 15 minutes of driving around before he spots a small restaurant, just beside a small grocery which Johnny thinks is perfect, he needs to pick up some supplies and toiletries later anyway.

  
  
A bell clings as he enters, different smells hitting his nose all at once. Inside, there’s not really much, a small counter which, curiously, is unmanned (he does hear some clinking of pots and pans somewhere so he knows someone is actually inside), with a menu behind it and a curtain, and a few tables and chairs. He’s not surprised that at this hour, he’s the only customer (who even eats lunch at 4 pm anyway). He takes a seat near the counter, observing the place some more until a boy probably no older than 20 comes out the curtains behind the counter and startles himself upon seeing that they have a customer.   
  
“Hyung, I think we have a tourist!” the boy shouts back to wherever he appeared from, his voice way too loud for the quiet of the place. Johnny hears a faint voice shouting something back.   
  
“I’m not a tourist,” Johnny says quietly, and the boy just stares at him, head cocking a little bit to the side.   
  
He starts walking towards Johnny’s table, “This is a small town, mister, and _I_ know everyone. You _are_ a tourist.”   
  
“I just moved here.” he offers. A still moment and something clicks in the boy’s brain, suddenly offering him a wide smile.   
  
“Oh. _Oh._ You must be moving in Mrs. Suh’s house then! I miss that woman.”   
  
“Uh, yeah, i’m kinda her son,” he smiles weakly.   
  
“Oh. I’m sorry,” suddenly shy, “she was one of our regulars.”   
  
A beat of silence passes before them before the young boy speaks again.

“I’m Donghyuck, by the way,” his wide grin is back. “What will you be having today?”  
  
He gives him his order, kimchi jjigae never disappoints after a tiring day, and the boy slides back in the curtains, his voice loud enough to be heard even from where Johnny is. It’s not even a minute later when Donghyuck slips back out, placing side dishes on his table. A few more moments and someone else appears from the curtains, this time taller, probably also older, an apron tied on his waist, his arms balancing a tray containing what Johnny assumes is his meal.   
  
“Hi, here’s your meal,” the new company says, and he gives Johnny a gummy smile as he sets down his kimchi jjigae, rice, and surprisingly, a plate of extra meat. 

“I only ordered the stew,” Johnny says politely and the man just shakes his head.  
  
“Treat it as ‘welcome to the neighborhood’ treat,” he says. “It’s rare for us to have new people, this is an idle town after all. And also because I loved your mom, she was the kindest. This is the least I can do.” He adds the last part in a whisper.   
  
Something warm spreads over Johnny. His mom was one of the greatest people he knew and he’s happy that people in this town share the sentiment with him.   
  
“Thanks uh-”   
  
“Doyoung, it’s Doyoung.”   
  
“Thanks, Doyoung,” he offers a smile and holds out his hand. “I’m Johnny, by the way.”   
  
The man, Doyoung, takes it and before they can even part, a shout from the kitchen makes its way to where they are.

“Hyung! Your pan is gonna burn!” Johnny can hear Donghyuck saying. 

Doyoung just rolls his eyes before he walks back towards the curtains shouting back a _take it off the stove then_ and then only to be answered with a _that’s not my job so no._ They bicker more and it’s an interesting background noise as Johnny starts his meal.

As he eats, slowly, more people trickle in and Johnny observes how Donghyuck, and sometimes even Doyoung, greets each and everyone by name, and how they all make small talk with the boy, catching up on small details. He feels as if he is intruding, an outsider. He knows that towns like this are intricate, with everyone knowing everyone, having grown up with each other. And yet here he is, suddenly forcing himself into their dynamics, and for the first time in a long time, he feels completely lost and utterly alone.   
  
“What’s got you down?” He didn’t even notice when Donghyuck had got to his table.

“Just thinking,” he mumbles, half-heartedly picking on his food again. Donghyuck seems to take it as an invitation to sit down.

“Hey, I know you’re new here, but like, you can talk to us, alright? Doyoung hyung too.”

And honestly, there was no reason for a stranger to offer him friendship. This was not how people in the city were. You mind your own business and you get on with your own day. Here, though, that seems to not be the case, and weirdly, Johnny welcomes that.

“Thanks,” he sends his first ever toothy smile and Donghyuck brightens up. The boy gets called on another table and he resumes his duties and Johnny is left to his devices again, but now feeling a little warmer, a little more grounded. 

The sun has completely set and the restaurant is now packed with the onslaught of dinner rush when Johnny finishes his meal. He quickly pays and bids his goodbyes to his two new acquaintances and makes his way to the grocery beside it. It was a quick trip, really only needing toiletries and some fresh produce, meat and some other food items (his mom’s fridge still holds a lot of things and the cupboard is still fully stocked) that before he knows it, he’s parking in the driveway of his new house. 

As he sticks the fridge full with his newly bought groceries, Johnny observes his neighbor through his window. He seems to be cooking again, his head down cast as he mixes something. Suddenly, his hands stop moving and he’s just there, standing, alone in his kitchen when Johnny sees his shoulders start to shake.

His neighbor is crying, his hands desperately trying to wipe tear after tear that flows out of him and ultimately failing, body shaking with an intensity that scares Johnny. He was pretty sure that if he tried hard enough, he’ll be able to hear the sobs that wreck his body through the quiet of their neighborhood. The person may be a stranger, but Johnny is not a stranger to pain and heartache, so there, divided by a yard and the concrete walls of their own houses, he feels for his neighbor, a neighbor that he doesn’t even know the name of.

 _I know everyone._

He remembers Donghyuck’s words. Perhaps he also knows about his pain-stricken neighbor, Johnny thinks, and it just adds to his reasons to visit the restaurant again. After all, their kimchi jjigae is the best he’s ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knock. Knock. Knock.   
> He waits for a few seconds, and nothing happens. He tries once more, this time a bit louder.  
> Knock. Knock. Knock.   
> A muffled noise can be heard and Johnny is in the middle of counting down to ten Mississippi when the door abruptly opens. Suddenly, he is face to face with his neighbor and his mind blanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally up!!!! i got distracted so it took a while,,, anyway enjoy!!!  
> also stream ridin by dream ahsdklsdulm  
> (STAY SAFE, ILY <3)

It takes him a week to fully settle in.

Slowly, he coaxes more of his things out of their boxes and starts placing them around the house. He puts his clothes in his wardrobe. Starts arranging his mug collection on the cabinets above the counter. Sets up his mini coffee corner in the kitchen. He even manages to turn one of the spare bedrooms into his own office, complete with his computer set and typewriter and book collection. 

By the end of the week, he's transformed the house into his _home_ , or at least tried his very best in doing so. 

During this time, going out, exploring and socializing in this new neighborhood he's in has been pushed to the back of his mind, as he opts more for organizing all the shit he's brought and having thoughts such as _oh god why do I even need this much books_ and _why do I have this many slacks when I work from home._

So yes, for the most part of the week, he is cooped up inside, only really going out to water the withering plants on the window sill every morning. 

Today is a Sunday though, and he guesses that today is as good a day as any to start exploring the town. By 8 am, he's freshly showered and walks out the house to his car. He takes a peek at his neighbor's house and notices that, yet again, the curtains are not drawn. 

Ever since The Crying Incident, which Johnny so conveniently labeled, he's never caught sight of his neighbor again. His curtains are always closed, and the house is just so… _quiet_. If it wasn't for the lights that adorn the windows at night, he'd think that his neighbor had gone missing. But alas, like clockwork, the lights open at 6 pm and he's assured that yes, his neighbor is very much alive, but no, he will not be seeing him. 

He's thought about it once. Knocking on his neighbor's door, making sure that he is fine and well (or however well one can be after having a breakdown like that) and maybe even making conversation. But Johnny instantly gets sidetracked whenever he sees the boxes littering the living room. 

Now though, he thinks about it again. It's been days since his neighbor has gotten sunlight. Surely, that's not the healthiest lifestyle, is it? 

_He was one of my mom's friends_ , he reasons with himself as he walks the distance between his driveway and to his neighbor's door. 

_This is what good neighbors do, Johnny Suh_ , his mind supplies before taking the last step and then he's face to face with his neighbor's door.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

He waits for a few seconds, and nothing happens. He tries once more, this time a bit louder.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

A muffled noise can be heard and Johnny is in the middle of counting down to _ten Mississippi_ when the door abruptly opens. Suddenly, he is face to face with his neighbor and his mind blanks.

He knows his neighbor is attractive, he knows that. Seeing him this close though, Johnny's mind crashes and all that's left is a flashing neon sign that screams _pretty! pretty! pretty!_

And he'd be fine if it just wasn't _so_ true. Because it is, oh trust me it _is._ Johnny's neighbor is fucking _ethereal_ with his perfect facial structure and wide eyes and defined nose and pretty lips. If Johnny ever saw an angel, he thinks the guy in front of him is what they would look like. 

He is interrupted in his daylight not-subtle-at-all ogling when his neighbor suddenly clears his throat, his eyebrows ( _oh my god even his eyebrows are pretty_ , Johnny's brain supplies) raising and staring him down with a silent question of _what the fuck on earth are you doing at my doorstep at 8 o'clock in the morning on a Sunday?_

Suddenly, Johnny's literature degree flies out the window, words now seemingly a foreign concept to him as he tries to make out a sentence, and failing miserably. The only thing he manages to do is to probably look like a fish, with his mouth just gaping open every now and then as he tries to arrange his thoughts. 

Pretty boy neighbor just sighs, his breath so quiet and sounding _oh so tired_ that it pulls back Johnny from the weird trance that he's in and he finds his voice again. 

"I just–I just wanted to check in if you're okay, that's all," Johnny says, avoiding his neighbor's eyes. 

"It's just that I haven't seen you much and I got concerned," and finally, he gets courage to look at the boy in front of him, only to meet an unreadable expression, his gaze hard and scrutinising, his lips in a thin line. 

When his mind isn't so busy anymore screaming _pretty!_ every few seconds, Johnny actually notices a few more things about the person in front of him. 

First off, he's tiny. Like really. And Johnny just doesn't mean it height-wise because then it's really just not that believable coming from a 6ft man who's all legs and arms and almost always bigger than everyone he's met, but the person in front of him is _small._ He barely reaches Johnny's ear, his body is _so_ skinny, the oversized shirt he's wearing right now accentuating the fact even more as it sags on him and almost drowns him in fabric. Even with his broad shoulders, he seems to be curling in on himself, as if he just wants to not be seen and disappear right about now.

Second thing, Johnny notices, is that he looks just about ready to pass out anytime soon. His skin is pale, his eyes are heavy with eye bags, his shoulders drawn down. It's as if even just standing there is draining him of so much energy, his exhaustion so palpable that even Johnny can feel it from where he was standing. 

Third, his presence was _not_ welcomed here, _at all_ . The guy is staring him down, his whole body language telling Johnny to _go away_ but damn it, Johnny is just as stubborn as his mom was, and so he holds his ground.

“Are you okay?” he asks again.

This time though, his neighbor glares at him as he answers a small “yes” through gritted teeth.

Johnny doesn’t believe him, knows it’s a lie, but he keeps that thought to himself. 

“Good then!,” is what he replies instead. “By the way, I’m your new neighbor, Johnny.”

His neighbor just stares at his outstretched hand before unceremoniously shutting the door in his face, and he’s left to stare at the mahogany wood of his neighbor’s door.

  
  
  


It’s a little past 9 in the morning when Johnny arrives at the farmer’s market, his mind reeling with so many thoughts and questions with what happened earlier. These, however, are instantly forgotten when his eyes land on so much fresh produce and colorful stalls and suddenly all he can think about is how ripe those avocados are looking, a mere meter away from him.

He spends a good amount of time exploring the place, meeting the people there, and even running into some of what used to be his mom’s regulars. 

He meets Taeil, apparently his mom’s supplier of kimchi (which he is now quickly running out of, he’s been eating it with almost every meal because its _that_ good) and even gives him a free sample and an extra, small container of kimchi when he was made knowledgeable of the fact that he is Mrs. Suh’s son.

And then there’s one Qian Kun, who upon talking he learns, is his mom’s usual supplier of those homemade calming candles that are littered round the house. So he buys more from him, Kun giving him a very kind smile and thanking him, not forgetting to tell him how much of a good person Mrs. Suh was.

The man selling the very ripe avocados (and many other fruits too) from earlier, he learns, is called Sicheng, and he acquaints himself with the shy guy too, and promises him that he will now be searching for him everytime he runs out of avocados for his guacamole.

The trip to the farmer’s market is almost like looking at his mom’s life album, pieces and stories of her captured by different people, moments Johnny hasn’t been there to witness. When his mom moved out of the city to live her country life dreams when Johnny started dorming in college, he’s become a very absent presence in her life. Only really seeing her during the holidays and opting for a call once a month just to check in on her. It’s only now he realizes that he’s missed so much of his mom’s life, too busy catching up with his own. His heart pangs.

By the time he’s finished with the farmer’s market, Johnny is heaving so many bags of groceries and so full on food samples that all the market ladies had him try enthusiastically. He makes his way to his car to dump all the shit he’s bought, then makes his way to the butcher shop he's passed by earlier. 

It's past noon when Johnny makes it home and he quickly whips up something for lunch. When he's done eating, his mind brings back the memories of the morning, and suddenly he's left to _think, think, think._

If there was one thing that was a constant in Johnny's life, it was Johnny’s love for people. He loves making friends and being surrounded by them, always never one for being alone and lonely. So it doesn't come as a surprise that Johnny also loves being loved by people. 

He knows it's impossible, to be loved by everyone, but that sure never stopped him from trying. In fact, Johnny, despite his size -- Jaehyun has even grown a liking to calling him a sasquatch -- was never seen as intimidating – not when he's always smiling and always so warm to people around him. He was even voted as Mr. Congeniality on their yearbook back in highschool. 

So when his neighbor shows such distaste to his presence, he is _baffled,_ especially since he knows he never did something for this unwarranted rudeness. He’s always nice, and people were always nice to him back, or at the very least, civil. 

A sharp ring cuts him from his thoughts. He scrambles to find his phone, the screen lighting up from a facetime call from Ten. When he answers, it's not Ten that he finds on the screen, instead showing Mark who, by the looks of it, is in Ten’s apartment

“Johns, come back here! I’ve had enough of Jae and Ten!”

There’s a noise in the background and a faint _Mark, do not think for one second that I can’t hear you_ and someone answering _but its true that you are annoying though_ and a _shut the fuck up Jae._

“Not my problem,” Johnny says, grinning at Mark who looks about ready to tear his hair out.

“ _Hyung,_ ” he whines, in that Mark way of his and Johnny just grins harder.

“They’ve been at it for almost an hour now, _an hour_ , just to decide if we’re cooking in or having delivery,” he continues ranting. “And I thought, _genuinely_ thought, that when Ten hyung agreed to cooking lunch, it would be the end of it but _nooo_ , he just had to butt in the kitchen and negate everything Jaehyun is doing.”

More noises in the background, and suddenly Ten enters the screen and smacks Mark in the head.

“Tattletale!” 

Before Mark gets to answer, Ten directs his attention to Johnny.

“What is _up_ my dude bro, apple of my eye, love of my life, Johnny?” he asks with that signature grin of his. “We miss you!”

And Johnny, misses them too, terribly.

Misses them hanging out in Ten’s apartment, misses Jaehyun’s cooking, Ten’s never ending teasing, and even Mark’s whining _._ He misses Ten and Jaehyun’s weird way of showing affection, of Mark looking annoyed but loving their antics anway and Johnny laughing about it all. 

So he tells them this, how lonely and abrupt the change is for him, but he’s trying, really, but it’s hard.

“How about your neighbors? You can make friends with them!” Jaehyun suggests. He’s joined them halfway through Johnny’s monologue of the hardships of being alone in a new place, a big plate of japchae in hand.

“See now, that’s where the problem is Jae. I think my neighbor hates me.”

“Oh damn, maybe _I_ can be friends with your neighbor then.” Jaehyun answers in that cheeky tone that he always gets away with, his dimples making everyone weak.

“Pfft.” Ten snickers from beside him, “As if you didn’t call me the night Johnny left and cried like a little bitch.”

“Ten, I say this with all the love from my heart, which is fucking zero by the way, shut the fuck up.” Jaehyun says as his ears now turn red. Ten just smiles bigger.

“Crying Jaehyun aside, how do you even know he hates you?” Ten asks him.

“He slammed the door close in front of my face when I introduced myself, I think the message was pretty clear.”

“Ooh, that’s stone cold,” Mark comments.

“I know man. We’ve been living beside each other for a week now and I still don't even know his name.”

“Well then fuck him, you’re an adorable giant teddy bear and he’s missing out. That’s his problem.” Ten says.

“But Tennie,” he says, his voice now reaching a pitch that can be almost classified as a whine, ” you don’t understand, he _has_ to like me!”

“Hyung, we’ve been through this before, not everyone will like you. That’s impossible.” Mark tells him.

“But I can try!” 

“Hyung I feel like you just totally missed my point.”

Jaehyun just shakes his head.

“Jae, stop judging me.”

“Bro, I literally didn’t say anything.”

“But you were giving me _the_ look!” and if he wasn’t whining before, he sure is now.

“Johns, Jae is just worried that’s all,” Ten assures him. “We all are.”

“I know, I know. But honestly, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much, okay?” Johnny tells them. “Now, Mark, a little birdie told me a certain Nakamoto finally, _finally,_ asked you out.”

“Ten hyung! You told me you wouldn’t tell him!” Mark cries out before filling Johnny in with the details.

The call went on for 2 more hours--who knew there could be that much drama in Mark’s office--before they finally end it.The silence that follows is deafening, and Johnny feels suffocated. At least in the city, even when he’s alone in his apartment, it doesn’t truly feel like it, the noise of the city always keeping him company.

Here though, it's way too quiet. And the quiet has never really been Johnny’s friend, not when it gives way for his thoughts to be louder, clinging to his skin, an itch that can never be truly scratched and Johnny wants to _scream_. Anything just to fill the blanket of stillness around him.

He doesn’t though. He makes his way towards his office, puts his favorite vinyl on his vintage turntable (Ten called him pretentious for a whole week after acquiring it), and gets to work. 

His mother always told him that his brain fires off at a speed far too fast for his own good. He’s always in on his head. On his 7th birthday, his mom gifts him a journal. Tells him it's no good to have all those thoughts just stay there in that little noggin’ of his. So he starts writing his thoughts down.

21 years later, he does exactly that, except now people actually pays him so that they can read the bullshit that gets farted out by his brain. He’s not exactly a big writer, with sold out books and an established fandom, but he makes enough for himself and he’s fine with that.

The sun has long set when he decides he’s had enough work for the day.

7:02 pm, his phone reads. Just in time for dinner.

  
  


When Johnny enters the Sunflower, it’s a lot different than the first. Now, almost all the tables are taken, different families eating their supper, and he can even recognize some people now, like the man that manned the butcher shop earlier, sitting on a corner with Taeil, the kimchi dude.

Donghyuck instantly greets him, leads him to an available table and flashes a big smile before tending to the other diners around him. There’s another boy who’s helping today, making easy talk with the people, his mouth always with a wide smile.

“Hi! You ready to order?” the boy asks.

“Just the sundubu jjigae, please.”

“One sundubu jjigae, coming right up!” then he’s out of Johnny’s line of sight.

He comes back a little later with the side dishes in hand, soon followed by his meal.

Johnny eats in silence, that is until one certain golden boy appears in front of him.

“Hyung, why did you come back only now?” Donghyuck whines. “It made me think that you didn’t like our food, which, by the way, is impossible.”

“I’m sorry kid,got a little busy, that’s all.” Donghyuck’s pout is still there so he adds, “There’s no way I wouldn’t like your food, it’s amazing.” Donghyuck finally smiles again.

“Hyuck, help me out here!” someone shouts from the kitchen.

“I’m busy! I know for a fact you can do whatever that is by yourself.” Donghyuck answers back. He turns to Johnny, “Yangyang’s a big baby, sorry for that. How are you finding the town by the way?”

He grabs the chance presented to him.

“It’s alright, I guess. Hey, you said you know everyone, right?”

There’s something like pride that flashes in Donghyuck’s eyes before saying yes.

“Do you know my neighbor, by any chance?”

“Oh Mrs. Choi? Of course! What a sweet woman, have you seen her cat? It’s so cute, honestly, it’s all fat and fluffy and just sits around. Yangyang’s got an album full of pics”

Johnny sits confused for a moment before realising he does, indeed, have 2 houses beside him, so _of course_ , it is only logical to also have two neighbors. Johnny does know Mrs. Choi. She keeps greeting him good morning and always telling him that he would be _perfect_ for her granddaughter and that they should have lunch sometime and Johnny always politely refuses.

That’s not the neighbor Johnny wants to know about though.

“No, the other one.” he says. “Very pretty, big eyes, tiny, kinda thin, kinda rude?”

Donghyuck widens his eyes at the last part.

“Don’t let Doyoung hyung hear you say that!”

He doesn’t understand, at least not now, so he drops it.

“I’m sorry, but yeah, do you know the one?” he asks. 

Donghyuck smiles, amusement dancing in his eyes as he answers.

“Well, Mr. Johnny Suh, your neighbor is the one and only, Lee Taeyong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAND CUT  
> thoughts are greatly appreciated uwu  
> scream at me here too(only if u want):
> 
> twitter: @johnnyminnie1  
> cc: johnnyloveb0t


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Johnny is, yet again, face to face again with his neighbor’s front door. 
> 
> He’s really starting to hate that stupid mahogany door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO YES ITS BEEN A WHILE
> 
> i got caught up finishing all my requirements for the semester but alas, i am now done! (or you know, done until june 22 comes around and organic chemistry lab gives out another requirement but until then i am done!)
> 
> expect more frequent updates now(hopefully), and for now, chapter 3!  
> (another sorry as its so short but!!!! i'll try and make up for it in the next chapters,,, now have some johnyong :] )

_Lee Taeyong._

The name occupies Johnny’s brain for the rest of night. Burrows itself there, makes itself at home, complete with a sala set, a china collection, and pantry loaded with snacks.

Kinda like a worm. Or an ant. Whichever works.

Donghyuck didn’t really tell him much, just his name, before he was unceremoniously called by Doyoung in the kitchen. Johnny had a lot of questions, too much to be normal he even thinks, especially as it’s obvious Donghyuck knows more than he lets on, but he’ll find out soon enough. Probably, he thinks. He’s not really sure.

The next day, he’s surprised to see his neighbor, _Taeyong,_ actually walk out of his house, a small dog in tow. He looks much better now, dressed in something that actually fits him, and with much more energy and much less slam-the-door-in-your-face aura.

Johnny observes him from his window, and in retrospect, it’s creepy stalker behavior, but Johnny wasn’t really thinking. He’s way too in shock seeing his neighbor being actually hit by the sun. From where he’s drinking his morning caffeine, he can see him actually enjoying the morning sun, he even talks to his dog, which by the way, Johnny finds absolutely _adorable_ and--

_Oh my god, is that a smile I see?_

He’s looking down at his dog’s silly antics, and he’s mouth is fucking curved upwards, his eyes shining, and he’s _actually_ smiling.

If Johnny thought he was pretty before, with a glare in his eyes and a frown in his mouth, well boy is he not ready for the scene in front of him now. Because now, he’s fucking _radiant_ , and _god,_ Johnny has never wanted to make someone smile like ever before.

And it’s such a good start to his day, he thinks, but of course, what would the world be if it wasn't a little shit with its bad timing and misfortunes? Taeyong suddenly looks up and sees him through the window. And Johnny couldn’t even fathom how it must look like, him just _casually_ observing his neighbor walking their dog, like a fucking creep. 

Never has Johnny seen a mood change so fast. Suddenly, he’s back to frowning and walks away so fast, his dog getting slightly dragged before he slows down.

If Taeyong was annoyed by him before, Johnny’s sure he hates him now.

Johnny checks his emails in the meantime while munching on his omelette. It's nearly an hour later when he notices his neighbor go back, not even sparing Johnny’s house a glance. To distract himself, he searches for some freelance work and starts on it.

By lunch time, Johnny is pitifully unproductive--a document open with at most 200 words blinking at him, judging him for having no work done. And honestly, who can blame him, when all he’s thinking about is his neighbor and how _embarrassing_ the events earlier were.

  
  
  
  
  


**_Johnny_ **

**** _hypothetically, if your neighbor catches you watching them from your window like some sort of creep, what is the plan of action?_

**_Ten_ **

**** _the fuck on earth did you do now suh?_

**_Johnny_ **

**** _HYPOTHETICALLY ! ! !_

**_Ten_ **

_lmao_

**_Jaehyun_ **

**** _johns, we’ve talked about this, we do NOT creepily stare at our neighbors through windows_

**_Johnny_ **

_I SAID HYPOTHETICALLY_

_hy·po·thet·i·cal·ly_

_/ˌhīpəˈTHedəklē/_

_adverb_

_by imagining a possibility rather than reality; as a hypothesis._

_"we talked hypothetically about how cool it would be if we moved"_

_HYPOTHETICALLY_

_!!!_

**_Ten_ **

_sure johnathan_

**_Mark_ **

_i believe you hyung_

**_Johnny_ **

_thank you mark, you always got my back : < _

**_Mark_ **

_hypothetically that’s stupid tho lmaooooo_

**_Johnny_ **

**** _ >:-c _

  
  


Johnny hears the familiar bell ring when he enters The Sunflower, with Donghyuck and Yangyang sitting on an empty table, laughing about something. There’s not many people dining, a couple sitting near the windows and, surprisingly, Mrs. Choi, eating her lunch on one corner.

Yangyang looks up from where he’s sitting and greets Johnny with a smile.

“Someone missed us,” Donghyuck muses. “I didn’t peg you for the easily attached type, Johnny Suh.” 

“Do you or do you not want me to dine here?” Johnny asks, his lips showing a little bit of smile.

“Well, of course we do, my most favorite customer!” Donghyuck instantly says, flashing him a smile too wide to look genuine, fake enthusiasm so obvious as he bounces his way from the chair to where Johnny was standing.

“What can I do for you, sire?” he says as he leads Johnny to a table.

At that, Yangyang laughs.

“I’m gonna try the guksu for today, I think,” Johnny says. “Also add jeyuk bokkeum too, why not,” he adds as an afterthought.

A few minutes later and his table is full of good food and he starts digging in. He’s nearly finished when a movement from across the street catches his attention. Lee Taeyong, walking on the streets, a big gym bag on his shoulder.

Two Lee Taeyong sightings in one day that doesn’t involve Johnny looking at him through his neighbor’s window? _Interesting_.

He does ponder a little bit about that possibility, until he is reminded of the dumb fuckery he was able to pull off just earlier. Instantly, he avoids his gaze, not wanting a repeat of that, whatever _that_ was. His gaze lands on a certain tanned boy with a knack for knowing people.

“Hey Donghyuck,” Johnny says and Donghyuck instantly walks over and takes a seat from across him.

“If, say, I unintentionally pissed my neighbor off, what can I do to make it up to them?” he asks.

“Did you hurt Mrs Olive?! Oh my god Yangyang will be pissed at you!”

“Hurt who now?”

“Mrs. Choi’s cat, Mrs. Olive! That woman only ever gets angry when it's about Mrs. Olive.” He says the last part in a whisper.

“Wait, what, no! I didn’t piss off Mrs. Choi!” Johnny says, exasperated.

“Well then who did yo--Oh.” the lightbulb clicks in Donghyuck’s brain. “Oh what the hell did you do to Taeyong?”

Johnny recounts the events of the morning, even adding some stories from their previous encounters. Doyoung emerges from the kitchen mid-way through Johnny’s story telling session and listens deeply, his brows furrowing, his front teeth making an indent on his bottom lip.

Silence falls upon them once Johnny wraps up his story-dilemma package in one. Donghyuck looks at Doyoung and Doyoung looks at a microscopic point at the table, his eyes seeing something neither Donghyuck and Johnny can see.

Doyoung suddenly stands up, speedwalks through the kitchen, and Donghyuck and Johnny just stare at his figure and then at each other for a while. He emerges minutes later with a tupperware.

“First, you give this to Taeyong and tell him if he doesn’t get his shit together, I _will_ pay him a visit with a lecture prepared, complete with a powerpoint presentation and all.” Doyoung says as he hands Johnny the tupperware of what seems to be jajangmyeon.

“Then buy him the most chocolatey concoction available right now at Nana’s Cafe, you know the one near the butcher shop?” Johnny nods. “Yeah that one. Taeyong won’t like you right away but at least now he won’t think about murdering you in your sleep.”

Johnny takes the container and also the advice with a smile and big thank you to Doyoung. 

  
  
  


2 hours later, Johnny finds himself in front of the same mahogany door that was just slammed in his face yesterday. He takes a deep breath and knocks three times.

There’s a bark, probably from the dog, _of course it's from the dog Johnny, keep it together man_ , and then the knob turns.

“You again,” Taeyong says in lieu of a greeting. The frown is back.

Johnny holds up the tupperware container.

“Doyoung asked me to bring this to you. He said something about keeping it together or he will visit with a powerpoint presenta--”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence as Taeyong snatches the tupperware from him.

“I’ll tell him I got it.” 

_Not even a thank you, but that’s fine Suh, you got this._

“I also have some cookies. Apology for the, uh, morning incident.” Johnny internally winces at the last part.

Taeyong takes the bag, takes a little peek inside. The frown gets reduced to a neutral line. Johnny notes that as an improvement in his books.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to, but you did,” Taeyong says quietly.

Johnny was just about to go into a spiel about starting off on the wrong foot and starting over again as friends, when Taeyong turns back and closes the door, at least now, gently.

Johnny is, yet again, face to face again with his neighbor’s front door. 

He’s _really_ starting to hate that stupid mahogany door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again im sorry its so short but yes some progress o.o
> 
> scream at me here:  
> twitter: @johnnyminnie1  
> cc: johnnyloveb0t


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From where Johnny is sitting, he sees him enter the house. He touches where the ghost of Taeyong’s hand remains. It's warm. There’s a small tingle in Johnny’s fingertips. Johnny parks in the driveway, gets to work. That night, he recounts the events of the day, can’t help but think that there’s something changing, there’s a big progress that has happened, a significant shift in their dynamics. There’s a small smile that ghosts Johnny’s lips as he finally sleeps.

The following days go by like this:

Johnny adjusts his “water the wilting plants” time (why does he even do this, he sometimes wonders when it's so obvious that the plants are slowly giving up on life) in the morning to line up with his neighbor’s schedule for walking his dog (it’s always 8:30 am on the dot) and tries to greet him a “good morning” to only receive a glance and a curt nod. 

He works for a while, grabs lunch at The Sunflower, sees Taeyong walking from across the street with his big gym bag, makes conversation with Donghyuck, Yangyang, and sometimes Doyoung, then grabs cookies and other sweets at the cafe.

Return home, work some more while he waits for his neighbor to come back, give whatever pastry he got from the cafe to his neighbor, try to make some small talk, to which his neighbor tries his best to reply with quiet yeses and nos (a big progress for Johnny by the way), return back home, cook dinner, work some more until his eyes start dropping by itself, then, sleep. 

The next day comes, rinse and repeat.

During this, he learns of a few things (he keeps a list on his brain because if there is one thing Johnny likes as much as people, its lists).

  * Taeyong _likes talking about his dog._
  * _The dog is named Ruby_
  * _Ruby is now 2 ½ years old_
  * Taeyong really really likes his sweets
  * Taeyong, so far, likes the chocolate eclair best (Or maybe he was just really in a good mood when Johnny handed it to him, but hey, Johnny will take anything even though it was just a miniscule happily surprised face before his neighbor steeled it back to his neutral, expressionless one)



Johnny keeps the list tucked away in one of his mind drawers--one labeled as Things About My Pretty Neighbor--and goes on with his day as usual.

It’s not after two weeks of this routine that something throws Johnny off the loop.

“Huh, Taeyong didn’t walk past here yet.” Johnny says in the middle of his conversation with Donghyuck when he notices it's already 12:55 pm, 5 minutes later than when he usually sees his neighbor.

“And yeah, Yangyang was a total nerd back in hi-- What?” Donghyuck stops his recollection of random memories about highschool, which Johnny notices are mostly Yangyang anecdotes but he doesn't comment about that, at least not for now, when he noticed Johnny said something.

“He usually passes by here at 12:50 pm.” Johnny says.

“He’s probably just late. I didn’t even know he passes by here at a certain time.”

“He almost does everything at a certain time, I’ve noticed.” Johnny comments offhandedly. “Opening his curtains? 7:00 am. Walking Ruby? There’s a certain schedule for that. Even opening his lights at night is at a certain time.” He resumes his meal, but there is an unnerving silence that settles around him. Donghyuck is looking at him with an unreadable expression.

“What?” Johnny asks dumbly midway through a bite.

Donghyuck looks at him for a bit more, shakes his head, and then he’s back to his usual smiling self.

There’s a familiar figure from Johnny’s peripheral and he whips his head. His neighbor is finally there, trekking his usual path again.

“Told you, he’s just a bit late,” he hears Donghyuck saying.

“Where does he even go?” Johnny asks himself, and gets surprised when Donghyuck answers for him. He’s probably said it out loud.

“To the gym.”

Johnny adds another bullet in his list.

  * _At 12:50 pm, Taeyong goes to the gym._



He tucks the list back on its respectful drawer. 

He wants to press for more details but Johnny is more baffled that their town has a gym that he didn’t know about. This means he’s been missing out on his workouts for no reason at all then. If Jaehyun hears about this, he’ll probably laugh his ass off, then proceed to give a talk about losses and regression and gains.

(He misses them, again, for the nth time this week. He should probably call them soon.)

“We have a gym?” Johnny asks.

“Uh, yes?” Donghyuck says. “Hyung, it’s a gym, not a museum. Every town has one.” he adds upon seeing Johnny’s face.

“Why am I only getting this information now?” Johnny says out loud to which Donghyuck just replies with “well, you never asked,” before Doyoung calls for him at the back.

After lunch, Johnny pays the local gym a visit. He quickly checks for the membership programs and activities offered when something catches his eye.

_Lee Taeyong - Hip Hop Dance Classes_

_Session 1_

_1:00 pm to 2:00 pm_

_Session 2_

_2:30 pm to 3:30 pm_

It's currently 1:48 pm now. Johnny wonders if he can catch a quick glance. The person behind the counter happily points Johnny to the direction of the room the class is happening and Johnny searches for his neighbor in the small glass panel on the doors the different rooms have.

He passes by a yoga class, then there’s a zumba class happening too. The last and final door Johnny peeks in, he sees Taeyong in the middle of dancing a piece, his students taking videos and clapping along to whatever beat is playing.

Johnny opens the drawer inside his head with the proper label, grabs the ever-growing list, and mentally writes another bullet.

  * _My neighbor is a dance instructor and I therefore appoint him as The Mighty Dance Overlord._



When he first saw his neighbor, Johnny would never have believed anyone if they told him Taeyong was a dancer, and a startlingly skillful one too, not when he was all baggy shirts and slouched posture. Now, though, as he feels the beat to whatever song is playing behind the doors, Johnny thinks he is faced with a new person.

Through the floorboards, Johnny can feel the beat of the music, and Taeyong majestically hits every. single. one. perfectly. Every single move is defined, every single step is done with purpose, and he looks _mesmerizing_. He moves like water when he wants and needs to then switches it up to hard hitting movements as the song progresses. 

If the song playing right now got personified, Johnny thinks this is how it would look like, with Taeyong, body lithe as ever, looking weightless, moving as if the melodies have possessed him and there is nothing else existing as of this moment but the deep connection between the rhythm and his body.

When the piece finishes, Johnny is in a trance. It's not until his students start throwing their shoes on the makeshift stage they have created and start cheering that he gets back again to his senses.

There’s something that blooms in Johnny’s chest--awe, he thinks (there’s also something more that he can’t quite name yet) -- as he is left speechless with this newfound discovery. Every day, he learns something new about his enigma of a neighbor. Johnny was never one for surprises, but this, he’s quite fond of. He figures he can make an exception for Taeyong. 

Johnny walks back up to the front desk, mind still reeling from the scene life has presented him just moments ago. He signs-up for a 6-month long gym membership. Once he’s done with that, he makes his way to Nana’s cafe. This has become a routine now, his mind now on auto-pilot when he drives his way there.

The kid that always serves him, Jaemin, greets him as he enters the store. He instantly gets started on Johnny’s coffee order since it's always the same anyway--a large iced americano--as Johnny makes his way towards the dessert bar and scans the selection.

“You don’t have chocolate eclairs today?” he asks, still eyeing the different pastries that line up the shelf. 

“Nah, we ran out just a couple of minutes ago. But since you always buy chocolate ones, I recommend you the mini chocolate lava cake. It’s really good!”

Johnny eyes the dessert bar for a bit more and sees the carrot cake. In the end he gets the lava cake for his neighbor and a slice of the carrot cake for himself.

Johnny stands in front of Taeyong’s door at 4:00 pm, the way he’s been doing the past two weeks, the sweet concoction in his hand. Three knocks, some shuffling and Taeyong is at the door.

“Hi!” Johnny says, no, _chirps_ , because he’s just had his caffeine fix and the carrot cake he just had is giving him a sugar rush. “Here’s your Nana’s Cafe fix of the day!” He hands Taeyong the paper bag.

Taeyong, like always, takes a peek at it, but instead of saying thanks like he always does, he’s just dead silent, eyes never leaving the contents of the brown paper bag.

Johnny can see his knuckles turning white from grabbing the paper bag too hard, parts of it starting to rip from Taeyong’s grasp.

The sugar rush definitely does nothing to curb the worry and panic that is growing rapidly in Johnny’s chest (if anything, it’s probably making it worse).

“Is everything okay? I just--they ran out of eclairs and they told me this was good so I got it.” Johnny explains in a hushed tone. He doesn’t know why he’s speaking like that, but right now any sort of loud noise feels unwelcome, offensive.

Taeyong keeps still, says nothing. The paper bag is seconds away from being totally torn.

“I, uh, I can change it if you don’t want it. I’m so--hey, it’s okay! It’s okay if you don’t want it.” Johnny is full on panicking now as he sees tears silently streaming down his neighbor’s face. If he had known lava cakes can make him this upset, he would’ve opted for the double chocolate cookie instead.

“You don’t--you don’t have to accept it if you don’t like it.” Johnny tries taking the bag away from him, but Taeyong just holds it closer to him.

“No, I want it, This is really good, Johnny.” Taeyong says in a quiet, but surprisingly steady voice despite the tears, staring directly into Johnny’s eyes as he mumbles out the last part. 

(Johnny later realizes that that was the first time Taeyong has actually said his name, but right now, he is a bit preoccupied.)

“It’s really, _really,_ fucking good.” his voice breaks on the last part, a sob, then, like a dam collapsing in, all the tears flood out. Taeyong curls in on himself, and Johnny is quick on his side--personal space be damned-- and Taeyong clings on to him, holds on to his shirt like it's his last life line, as he sobs and weeps his heart out. 

Johnny whispers a repetitive broken chorus of “it’s okay _”_ and “i'm here” as he soothes his neighbor. His shirt is soaked with tears now, but that’s really the least of his worries when his neighbor is in his arms, shaking with an intensity that scares Johnny as Taeyong keeps racking gut-wrenching sobs out his body, mumbling something incoherent. Johnny just stands there, lets it happen, takes it all in--a pillar, something to hold on to.

He doesn’t know how long they’ve been standing there, but that’s fine. Time is a social construct anyway. He rubs soothing circles on Taeyong’s arm and just lets the sound of Taeyong’s hiccups and the white noise of the neighborhood play a broken, heartbreaking symphony. It's when Taeyong’s been reduced to sniffles, that he finally peels himself from Johnny.

Johnny, not really knowing the proper protocol for the current situation, just stares, makes sure Taeyong can now support himself, makes sure that at least for now, Taeyong will be okay.

His neighbor wipes a few more stray tears.

“Thank you,” he manages through the hiccups and sniffles, and Johnny knows it’s not just for the lava cake. He spares Johnny one last glance before he heads inside, closing the door gently behind him.

It’s later that night when the incident from the afternoon finally, truly, settles in on Johnny’s head and he wishes more than ever that he still had his mom to talk to. She has a knack for always knowing what to say. But she’s not there, she’ll never be, at least not anymore. There is a dull pain in his sternum, starts spreading across his whole thoracic cage, and soon there's a hollow feeling swallowing the whole of his chest. He's never been good at dealing with emotions like these, so instead, he just buries his head in his manuscript, words flying out his fingertips at the speed of a rifle bullet. 

It's past 3 am when the tiredness finally catches up to him and he finally lets his body some rest. He skims through the work he’s done, internally cringing at the amount of typos and run-on sentences and has to stop himself from editing it. _Sleep,_ he thinks, _I need sleep._

He closes his laptop, trods towards his bedroom and flings himself towards the bed. It’s the half-hunched broken figure of his neighbor that Johnny last sees before his consciousness leaves him for the night.

The next days pass by without much incident. Between Johnny and Taeyong, a silent agreement is made to not talk about what happened. Johnny says his good mornings, Taeyong gives his curt nods back. Johnny brings him desserts from the cafe, Taeyong indulges him in small talk about the weather and Ruby.

It's finally after a week of registering for the gym membership that Johnny visits the gym again (Jaehyun definitely did _not_ contribute to this decision). He makes his way right after lunch, picks up his usual routine, takes a shower and is finished just minutes shy quarter to 4 pm. It almost, _almost_ , escapes him that his neighbor also gets done during this time, if it wasn’t for the fact that they bump into each other at the locker room.

Johnny’s fully dressed and ready to go when Taeyong steps out of the shower area, a towel hanging over his neck, dressed in nothing but a sheer white shirt and his track pants. There’s something to a freshly showered Taeyong that lures Johnny in that he doesn’t even notice his neighbor saying a shy “hello”.

Because freshly showered Taeyong means this: damp black hair looking darker than normal flopping on his forehead making him look younger than he is, his skin pink and raw from the hot shower, his eyes shining a little bit brighter from the post-shower surge of energy. 

“I didn’t know you go here,” he hears Taeyong say.

Johnny has to physically pull his eyes away, their friendship (can he call whatever they have that?) has just started to bloom and he would very much like to not to step on the little sprout of harmony between them that's just started to shoot up with his barefeet, thank you very much.

He studies his gym bag in earnest instead.

“Yeah, just joined last week. Only actually started today.”

_This bag is so dirty,_ the voice in his brain comments, _I should probably wash it soon._

From his peripheral, he sees Taeyong unlocking one of the lockers. 

“That’s nice. They have good equipment here.” Taeyong says. He’s organizing his things. 

Johnny braves a glance (one can argue that it’s really more of an ogle), notices a small scar underneath his right eye. _That’s nice,_ he thinks, _makes him more human._

Taeyong finishes up quietly, and Johnny just sits at one of the benches, waits for him wordlessly. 

They exit the gym together, Johnny leading by a few steps. Taeyong was just about to start walking when Johnny breaks the silence.

“I can give you a ride.”

Taeyong silently mulls over the idea and then, “sure, I would love that.”

They both enter Johnny’s beaten up 2009 Corolla. Johnny wordlessly plugs the aux to his phone, plays his usual playlist (it’s 50 percent calming anime themes and 50% neo-soul tracks), while Taeyong settles on the passenger seat beside him, buckles his seatbelt in.

They go through the drive like that, the melodies of Nandemonaiya filling the car. Johnny’s half way to Nana’s cafe when he remembers he should probably tell Taeyong he’s going to get some coffee first. Taeyong just nods, his head leaning towards the window, his gaze outwards.

Getting coffee and sweets is a fast affair that day (he gets the chocolate eclairs again and stays clear of the lava cake for a while) as Taeyong is waiting for him in the car. The car ride back to their homes is silent, Johnny’s speaker playing The Radwimps now playing Sparkle.

Johnny pulls up in front of his house, hands Taeyong the brown paper bag with a smile. 

“You’re an amazing dancer by the way,” Johnny inserts as Taeyong takes the bag from him.

A beat passes between then and then, “thanks Johnny,” Taeyong says quietly. 

And _god_ , there must be something in Taeyong’s voice, like how mermaids lure sailors to jump for them in the vast oceans or some other-worldly shit like that, because Johnny has never liked hearing his name as much as he did now. To top it all off, Taeyong sends him a small, bashful smile, and his cheeks and the tips of his ears are fucking _pink_ and Johnny thinks he’s going to disintegrate. He doesn’t know how he’ll handle himself once Taeyong starts directing his toothy smile, the one he always gives Ruby, at him.

“It’s the truth. You’re really talented an--” Johnny’s words die out as Taeyong puts a tentative hand over his arm that’s still resting on the steering wheel.

“Not just for that,” he says quietly, gives a little bit of a squeeze before he takes back his hand, unbuckles the seatbelt and exits the car.

From where Johnny is sitting, he sees him enter the house. He touches where the ghost of Taeyong’s hand remains. It's warm. There’s a small tingle in Johnny’s fingertips. Johnny parks in the driveway, gets to work. That night, he recounts the events of the day, can’t help but think that there’s something changing, there’s a big progress that has happened, a significant shift in their dynamics. There’s a small smile that ghosts Johnny’s lips as he finally sleeps.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i came back as soon as possible ^^ (also because my sister keeps sending me the knife emoji as a way of telling me to speed up writing hhhhh)
> 
> first things first, i would like to thank everyone who is reading this and also my other works because i am like at 600+ total hits now (it may seem small but it really means a lot to me so thank youuuu <3 )  
> secondly, i am very sorry for making yongie cry again but johnny is there this time sooooo  
> also!!! jaemin makes an appearance!! jaemin is one of my ults and is a caffeine addict like me so i had to put him in there somewhere lol
> 
> how do we feel about this chapter? thoughts are very much appreciated ^^ <3 
> 
> scream at me here too(only if u want):  
> twitter: [@johnnyminnie1](https://twitter.com/johnnyminnie1)  
> cc:[ johnnyloveb0t ](https://curiouscat.qa/johnnyloveb0t)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thing, however, with car crashes, is that even if you know what’s about to happen. It’s hard to stop, hard to get out of it fully unscathed, even as you try to hit the brakes. All you see is the impending doom ahead of you and pray that you can at least survive through the impact.
> 
> Johnny sees the heartbreak waiting for him. The metaphorical car doesn’t stop though, even as he floors the brakes.
> 
> _He’s done for._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Punch got their 1st win today!!!!!! Here's an update to celebrate ^.^

Call out your friends, bring out the marching band, and watch the parade! The entire circus is here! And Johnny, well, Johnny is the biggest fucking clown, complete with the fake overdrawn smile and the red nose (If you listen closely, you can even hear Fucik’s infamous Entry of the Gladiators playing). 

A Fool. Johnny is a Fool™.

Well, he actually prefers the term "optimist with bad luck". Ten has sent 8 consecutive texts with a very vocal opposing stance.

Because, see, Johnny genuinely expected with all of his heart that after that day, he and Taeyong will finally, really, be friends. He swore he saw plus signs on top of their heads like those characters in The Sims do when they socialize. The reality is vastly different though. 

Because, first of all, they are not in a life simulation game. Secondly, nothing, _absolutely nothing_ , has changed. Well, that's not entirely true. Something has changed, kind of, but not for the good like he’s expecting. In fact, if he lets his mind overthink things for a bit, he's sure he can even come up with an argument proving that it may have actually made things worse. 

Sure, they still do the usual run of things, but Taeyong has started avoiding looking at him in the eyes. Or any body part for that matter. Taeyong would look at anywhere when they talk, anywhere but Johnny. And sure, maybe sometimes the stone path behind Johny can be quite interesting—it’s color contrasts nicely to the lawn and the pattern as to which it is laid is probably well thought out—but Johnny doesn’t think _that_ low of himself to be considered less interesting that a stone path. A _fucking_ stonepath.

So yes, Taeyong has been not-avoiding-but-still-also-avoiding him. 

It’s nothing short of frustrating to say the least.

Because, yes, they still talk. Yes, Johnny still gets him those chocolate eclairs and chocolate cakes from the shop. Hell, it's even become a common occurrence for Taeyong to hitch a ride whenever Johnny works out in the gym. But despite it all, an ugly feeling settles in Johnny’s stomach.

Unwanted. That’s what he was feeling. Like somehow, maybe Taeyong is just forcing himself to hang out with Johnny, tolerates Johnny’s presence to be polite. It's not a good feeling. Makes him feel like he’s back in elementary again, when he first felt how it was to be rejected when one of his classmates refused to sit with him just because.

And sure that was ages ago, and Johnny is a 28 year old man for christ’s sake, but rejection is still rejection and rejection will always hurt. Or maybe it's more to do with the fact that it’s Taeyong who is indirectly rejecting him, but Johnny strays from that thought, doesn't wanna dwell too much how he’s held his certain neighbor to a different standard than everybody else (it still doesn’t explain why the feeling is oddly similar to that in highschool when Joohyun stood him up when he asked her out).

  
  
  


It’s a Thursday and Johnny has been so busy with working on his manuscript, head buried on his laptop with an open google doc on one tab and his weird google searches on twenty others, his channel orange LP long done playing on his turntable now he doesn’t even notice he’s been working in silence for the last four hours. The only background noise accompanying the clack of the keys being the tick of the clock.

If it isn’t for his bladder, he’ll probably sit there for a few more hours—he’s so close to finishing this chapter—but caffeine is a diuretic and despite having no other liquid intake aside from his morning coffee and that small sip of water he’s had after breakfast, he really _really_ needs to pee.

After he is done with his business, he checks the clock, realizes it’s way past lunchtime and all he’s had for that day was a measly almost burnt toast with an egg (yes, both singular). His stomach, as if on cue, rumbles.

Johnny skips the Sunflower for that day, heads straight to Nana’s and buys a slice of carrot cake for himself alongside his coffee. He’s an adult and no one can stop him if he will have a slice of cake for lunch. He gets the mini box of chocolate donuts for his neighbor.

He knocks on Taeyong’s door three times. There’s no response. He tries again. He can hear Ruby’s little paws scratching the bottom of the door. It's already 4:35 in the afternoon. The spring breeze manages to make its way through Johnny’s thin shirt and he shivers a little.

There’s not much he knows about Taeyong, but what he does know after living beside him for more than two months now, is that Taeyong is a man of routine. Johnny knows that after 4 pm, his neighbor doesn’t leave his house because at 5 pm, he takes Ruby out for his afternoon walk. From where he is standing, he can hear some faint music from the inside.

Taeyong is _definitely_ avoiding him. 

Well at least now, he’s certain. 

He feels stupid.

But he still has these donuts, and he doesn’t feel like eating them, not really, so he quickly makes a small note: 

_Hi neighbor!_

_I got you donuts! Also wanted to say I’m sorry, I’ll try not to bother you anymore. I_ _would still try and buy you sweets from time to time though when I pass by Nana’s._

_Thanks for keeping me company all those times ^^_

_-Johnny_

  
  


He leaves the small box on his neighbor’s doorstep. Rushes inside. He holes up himself in his little office for the rest of the day. He’s finished the chapter that he’s working on, even gets started on rewriting some of the parts. It’s nearly midnight when he feels tired. The rush of productivity finally leaves his body and all that’s left is exhaustion and Johnny wants nothing more than to collapse on his bed.

Before he sleeps, he sends a text to their group chat. Just a little something to get things off his chest. They’re asleep now anyway.

**_Johnny_ **

_Finally gonna be out of taeyong’s hair :-)_

In the morning, 5 messages await him.

  
  


**_Ten_ **

_Stop using :-)_

**_Ten_ **

_Also what happened_

_\--Jae_

**_Mark_ **

_morning !!!!_

**_Mark_ **

_wait @ten, did u and jae have a sleepover without me >:-( _

**_Ten_ **

_Lets not get sidetracked now, johns what happened_

**_Johnny_ **

_It's fine guys._ _Guess he really just doesn't wanna be friends._

It's not a minute later that he sees a facetime invitation from Ten. He answers, as well as Mark. Jaehyun is beside Ten on the screen.

“Okay, spill,” Ten instantly says.

So Johnny does. He props his phone somewhere on the counter, and starts on his breakfast for the day while giving a watered down version of all that’s happened between them. He doesn’t wanna seem too dramatic, doesn’t wanna worry his friends. He keeps his tone light, nonchalant. He omits the part where he had to hold his broken neighbor while he cries his heart out. It seems way too personal, too _intimate_.

“That’s it, we’re visiting.” Ten announces.

“We are?” Jaehyun asks from beside him, face way too close to Ten’s for two people who are just you know, _bros_. Johnny, despite feeling shitty, smiles at this.

“Yes, we are. It’s about time don’t you think?”

“I, for one, am in. Ten hyung, can I hitch a ride? You don’t have to pick me up, I can just go there instead,” Mark says.

“Sure. So it’s settled then!”

Jaehyun whines from beside him, “I haven’t said yes yet.”

Ten looks at him and then after a beat just says, “As I’ve said, it's settled,” and Jaehyun pouts from beside him. Ten pinches his cheek.

Johnny wants to _coo_. God, he’s missed them so much. He can’t fucking wait.

  
  
  


It's past 1 pm when Johnny hears the very loud incessant knocking on the door. Mark’s voice is already filling the house, and he’s not even inside yet. Johnny finally allows himself to stop scrubbing the kitchen counter that wasn’t even dirty in the first place. When he opens the door, there’s a blur and the next thing he knows, he is engulfed in a very messy group hug of some sort.

For lunch, Johnny takes them to The Sunflower. There’s not much people so he introduces them to the three people that’s helped Johnny so much ever since he’s moved here, and he’s glad that they seem to get along well (Haechan takes an immediate liking to Mark, calling him cute and instantly firing question after question, and Johnny sees Yangyang giving them a not-so-subtle glare).

They stay for a while, talking and catching up. Mark updates them on Yuta, how he’s planning to formally ask the Japanese guy out as his boyfriend, and how he plans to do it (there’s serenading involved and originally, Mark cooking a romantic dinner for two, which they are all quick to discourage since they don’t want a repeat of The 2015 Turkey Incident). 

Ten is also doing well, a bit overworked, as usual, but nothing he can’t handle. He’s doing his passion—photography( ever since one of his exhibits blew up, he’s been booked left and right with shoots, even editorial ones)—so he says the pain is worth it. Johnny wishes he would take care more of himself though.

Jaehyun’s still Jaehyun. He’s doing well as a market analyst, Johnny assumes, because Johnny understands nothing of what Jaehyun is saying right now so he just nods and smiles on what he thinks are the right moments. Jaehyun looks happy though and that’s enough for Johnny.

He _is_ curious about one thing though.

“So, you and Ten?” Johnny asks and Jaehyun nearly spits out his drink.

“What about me and Ten?” Jaehyun asks, tries to sound collected, but he seems to be forgetting that his ears have this ability to turn fucking scarlet when he’s hiding something or feeling embarassed. Beside him, Ten is looking down on his food but Johnny can see a hint of a smile there. Mark, oblivious as ever, just looks lost and confused.

To be honest, Johnny’s been waiting for this to happen, or you know just _anything_ with these two. They’ve been at this push and pull game since forever, acting like Tom and Jerry outside, always at each other’s throats, with all the teasing that’s really just a weird flirting game they have going on, but Johnny has seen the stares, the smiles, especially when they think no one is looking.

“What about Jaehyun and Ten?” Mark asks, just looking back between the two, still not connecting the dots. 

“Wait, oh my god!”

_Ah, finally, he gets it._

“You guys didn’t invite me to your sleepover!” Mark whines.

_Or not._

It does provide a good change of topic though and Jaehyun grabs the chance, starts talking about this new series they binge-watched last night. Johnny smirks to himself.

  
  
  


Johnny gives them a small tour of the town, tells them about the farmer’s market, the butcher shop, the cafe, even the gym. Shows them the park which Johnny once found as a good breather from when his writer block hits hard. He even tells them of Mrs. Choi and her cat, to which Ten has shown a great interest in.

It's nice to have them back for a while like this. Johnny’s heart swells with fondness. The banter, the noise, the inside jokes, even the questionable puns that Mark likes to say every now and then—all these he holds dear in his heart. Because sure, Johnny maybe technically alone now, being an only child with both parents gone, but Johnny now realizes that _this_ , this is also family.

Jaehyun volunteers to cook dinner that night. Insists Johnny should stop having instant meals or dessert for dinner, at least not when he can whip up something healthy and nutritious. Who is Johnny to say no to a bowl of Jaehyun’s famous galbi jjim?

They’re at Johnny’s now, him and Mark in the living room watching some pretentious netflix original film with a shitty plot but decent cinematography, while Ten and Jaehyun are in the kitchen, half cooking, half annoying-the-shit-out-each-other. Johnny’s just about to sleep through the movie (it's got to be the most boring thriller film in existence), his eyes already half closed, when he hears three knocks from the front door. 

Johnny checks if all of his friends are actually here. Beside him, Mark has paused the TV and is looking at him expectantly. In the background, he can still hear Jaehyun and Ten’s voice, albeit a little quieter now, from the kitchen. He’s not really expecting anyone else. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Johnny slowly pads his way to the front door. He peeps through the keyhole, he’s watched enough horror movies to know how things can quickly go sour from here. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees a certain wide-eyed neighbor, biting his nails, holding something in his hand. He opens the door.

For someone who’s knocked a total of six times, Taeyong looks completely surprised that the door opened. 

“Hi,” Johnny greets him. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Johnny puts a smile on. He’s doing so good not thinking about this fluke. Seems like he’s finally ran out of luck today.

Taeyong wordlessly hands him a box. At least now he’s looking at Johnny.

“Oh.” Johnny takes it. “Did you not like the donuts? That’s fine, I can ta—”

“It’s carrot cake,” Taeyong cuts him off. “For you. You always buy one so I suppose you like it.”

Johnny doesn’t know how to react. 

On one hand, he is fucking _estatic._ Not only does he get a _free_ carrot cake, but his neighbor is also interested in him enough to notice that aside from the coffee and the delicacies he buys for his neighbor, the only other thing he really splurges on, is his carrot cake.

On the other hand, he has spent two weeks feeling less significant than a stone path because Taeyong has resorted to avoiding looking at him at all, probably since he can’t get rid of Johnny.

Taeyong is supposed to be avoiding him now, finally having found peace again in his life. He already gave him an out, so why, for the love of god, is his neighbor here?

“Thank you? I don’t really know what the occasion is though. Is it your birthday?” Johnny asks. 

He hears Taeyong say “I’m sorry” the moment he says “Happy Birthday”.

“Sorry for what? There’s nothing to be sorry for. I love carrot cake!”

Taeyong opens his mouth once. Closes it, glares at the floor as he tries to find the right words.

“I’m sorry for making you feel like you did something wrong. You weren’t a bother,” he sucks in a shaky breath through closed teeth. ”I just, it’s-- _shit_ \--how do i even say this, It’s just--”

“Hey, _hey_. It’s okay. Breathe.”

Taeyong takes another deep breath.

”It’s nice having your company.”

Johnny is tongue-tied. There’s so many questions he wants to ask, but his mouth isn’t really cooperating. 

Behind him, some footsteps. Ten appears beside him.

“Hi! I’m Johnny’s friend, Ten. You are?” Ten slips himself between the space between Johnny and Taeyong. 

“I-I’m his neighbor, Taeyong.”

“Oh. _Oh,”_ and Johnny knows the look that crosses Ten’s eyes. “Johnny has told us _a lot_ about you.” Ten is smiling his cat-smile, with his teeth in full show, mischief dancing in his eyes.

Taeyong just awkwardly laughs.

“ _Ooookay_ _Ten,_ I think you can go back now,” he nervously chuckles as he tries to move his seemingly small friend, who for some reason, suddenly feels so much heavier as he cannot budge him from the door. 

“Johnny boy, when did you become so rude! Invite him in for dinner, Jae’s just finished cooking.”

“That really won’t be necessary, I don’t wanna disrupt you, guys.”

“Don’t be silly! I’m sure Johnny here would _love_ for you to join us! Come in, come in!” Ten ushers his neighbor as if he owns the house. _This motherfucker._

Taeyong looks at him with wide eyes, panicked and Johnny can only shrug because he knows there’s no getting out of this now, not when Ten is involved. Ten can be very persistent when he really wants something.

Taeyong doesn’t know that though, _poor him_ , so he tries to reason with Ten all the way to the living room. Ten just sits him on the couch, and tells him food will be ready in a minute.

Mark slowly scoots his way over to Taeyong on the couch and offers his hand.

“Hi! I’m Mark!” He says, in that over-enthusiastic Mark Tone, and Taeyong gives him a small smile, shakes his hand.

“Taeyong.”

(Johnny is only _a little_ envious that it took Mark less than a minute to make Taeyong smile when it took him weeks.)

Mark stares at Johnny’s neighbor for a while, and then blurts out, wide eyed, “Dude, you are like, like, you look like those anime dudes.” 

Johnny kinda wants the earth to open up and swallow him whole from where he’s sitting. Damn Mark and his lack of brain-to-mouth filter.

“Yo, dinner’s ready!” Johnny has never been more thankful for Jaehyun’s baritone voice to fill the air.

  
  


Dinner was an easy affair. Jaehyun, Ten and Mark’s laughters fill the house and Johnny feels content. There’s a warm blanket of smiles and easy banter surrounding them, that he can’t help but smile. Ten, Jaehyun and Mark fill Taeyong in on anecdotes about them, mostly about Johnny—Ten makes sure to dish out the funny embarrassing ones in detail—and there is an easy smile on his neighbor’s lips and a twinkle in his eyes, that Johnny doesn’t even have it in him to be annoyed at his certain Thai friend who seems to be on a mission to fill his neighbor in on all possible stories he can.

Johnny is silent for the most part, really only being loud when it's time to tease the hell out of Mark, and just laughs along as he watches. In this table, there is the image of him and the people he holds dearest to his heart, people he will willingly take a bullet for, and in a weird turn of events, Taeyong. Somehow, Taeyong having a nice dinner, in his house, is not as strange of a picture as he once thought. In fact, Taeyong being there seems as natural as breathing, like somehow, Taeyong in his dining area, laughing along with his bestest friends while they all share a small carrot cake, just makes the most perfect sense.

It's nice.

It’s past 8 when Ten, Jaehyun and Mark decide to finally head back to the city. Despite Mark still being free tomorrow, Ten has an early shoot, and Jaehyun still has his market analyst duties to attend to. They say their goodbyes, not without at least 20 hugs in between, and even thanks Taeyong for the cake.

Taeyong and Johnny bid them the last goodbye for the night by Johnny’s porch (Johnny tries not to think too much about how they look like a married couple sending their kids off).

It's silent for a while before Taeyong turns to him.

“They seem like good people, Johnny.” There’s a certain softness in his voice, his words blending softly with the night breeze.

Johnny looks at him, then at the clear night sky. The moon is round and bright.

“They are,” he says with fondness.

From beside him, an airless quiet chuckle. Johnny whips his head so fast. The chuckles turn into giggles, _fucking giggles,_ and Johnny is so, _so, royally_ _fucked._

“Ten is really funny. I like him,” he says in between titters.

Johnny feels like he has been sucker punched in the gut and all air has decided to leave him all at once. Taeyong is not just smiling, no. He’s fucking _laughing,_ and sure he was grinning a bit, when they were having dinner and sharing stories, but right now there’s something different. He seems brighter, his eyes into half moons, his nose scrunching a little bit and his mouth is wide open, his teeth showing, as he is trying to recount this one particular story Ten has told earlier, and sure, he is laughing at Johnny’s expense but _damn it,_ who is he to care, not when its so beautiful, so fucking _magnificent,_ and Johnny wants nothing more in this world than for this moment to last forever.

So Johnny adds on the story, shares more details Ten has missed on earlier, and shit if Johnny isn’t half aware of what he’s doing, giving it all just to make a boy laugh, but he doesn’t wanna think about it, not for now. He has time to think about it later. For now, he lets it happen, mutes all the questions and thoughts in his brain and enjoys the company.

In the background, the sound of the early spring breeze. Beside him, the airy laugh of his neighbor as his shoulders shake slightly from laughing as Johnny shares another anecdote.

The moon casts a nice light on the porch as Johnny talks and Taeyong listens. 

Above them, the stars twinkle brightly. 

Johnny doesn't ever want the nigh to end.

  
  
  


The next day, Johnny wakes up, and on auto-pilot, gets started with his drip coffee.

He boils his water on his trusty electric kettle. Measures 25 grams of his favorite medium roast Arabica beans, puts it in his Breville burr grinder, lets the thing do its job. Gets a #4 filter, fits it in his prized clear v60 Hario. He likes pre-wetting the filter paper so he does that, claiming it flushes the papery flavor out. Puts the beans in, starts blooming them. Then, after a minute, starts the drip. 3 minutes later, and Johnny has his perfect cup of coffee.

By 8:30, he’s out and starts watering the plants. Taeyong walks out the door, with Ruby in tow. _Always on the dot, like clockwork,_ Johnny whispers. When Taeyong passes by his way he greets him a “good morning”.

His neighbor smiles at him, greets him a “Good morning, Johnny,” back.

Johnny continues with watering the plants. Goes on with his day.

It's not until later, when Johnny is finally lying on his bed, his eyes at the ceiling, counting all the little cracks adorning it that he realizes, Taeyong has smiled at him back. _Greeted_ him back. Johnny is fucking giddy like a kid in a candy store upon the realization.

_Finally. Progress._

Johnny’s heart skips a beat. Feels the hope that blooms in his chest, along with something he’s been trying so, so hard not to notice. 

He’s not stupid, despite the many events that can easily contradict that statement—his friends can even happily provide a 20 page list. Johnny’s had enough crushes in his life to know how it feels. And he is aware, the way he badly wants to see the other smile, the way he can’t help but always get drawn to him when he’s in the room, the way he can’t help but have his thoughts drift back to him when there’s nothing else to think about, that whatever this is not just him being friendly anymore (Johnny doesn’t really think its normal to feel tingles on your skin when your bro accidentally brushes his shoulder or hands on your skin).

But Johnny is also aware of the hot and cold game they both seem to be playing. Aware of how Taeyong will be smiling today, then distant and closed off the next. Aware of how Taeyong often spaces out, always has a distant look in his eyes paired with a sad smile. Aware of this deep pain his neighbor seems to be carrying around his shoulders every single day.

The thing, however, with car crashes, is that even if you know what’s about to happen. It’s hard to stop, hard to get out of it fully unscathed, even as you try to hit the brakes. All you see is the impending doom ahead of you and pray that you can at least survive through the impact.

Johnny sees the heartbreak waiting for him. The metaphorical car doesn’t stop though, even as he floors the brakes.

 _He’s done for_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!!!!  
> so here's chapter 5 :> chapter 6 might take a while though because i have some things to tend to for a while, but i'll still try and post as soon as possible! As always, thanks for reading and thoughts are greatly appreciated ^^
> 
> (((also for anyone who's wondering, the movie johnny and mark is watching is "i am the pretty girl that lives inside the house" and what johnny experienced was my experience too except i actually fell asleep watching that film lol)))
> 
> scream at me here too(only if u want):  
> twitter: [@johnnyminnie1](https://twitter.com/johnnyminnie1)  
> cc:[ johnnyloveb0t ](https://curiouscat.qa/johnnyloveb0t)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Johnny really is his metaphorical moth self, he supposes it’s worth the risk of burning to enter the circle of warmth of the metaphorical Taeyong campfire.
> 
> For Taeyong, it’s worth it. _Always_ worth it.

It's Doyoung who comments on it first.

“You and Taeyong are getting close huh.” He says one day as Johnny eats his lunch on one corner of the Sunflower. It’s a slow day, Johnny’s really the only customer right now, Doyoung sitting across him, Donghyuck and Yangyang on the other corner, lost in their own world.

“I’m sorry, what?” He’s not sure if he’s heard Doyoung right.

“You and Taeyong.” He tries to ignore the way hearing their name together makes him feel like he’s drinking warm chocolate on a cold Christmas Day.

“What about me and Taeyong?”

“You seem to spend a lot of time together, no?” 

It hasn’t really occurred to him how much has happened ever since the dinner with his friends and Taeyong, but with Doyoung in front of him, telling him plain as day, he supposes it's true. He just hasn’t really noticed. 

Because see, the changes—it doesn't happen overnight. 

It creeps up on them, like vines of a climbing rose plant. It's slow, and unnoticeable until it's 5 months later and you suddenly realize that its red flowers are all around you, the stems grappling you for support, the greenery so thick, the sunlight has started to cast an almost ethereal glow as it passes through and yet you can't even remember how it happened. How that one single flower bloomed into something so grandiose you can't even remember how it looked like before. 

It happens like this:

It started with their morning greetings. Taeyong has taken it upon himself to answer Johnny’s good mornings not just with a curt nod, but now with a smile and a small “good morning'' of his, too. Sometimes, when he seems extra chipper, he’ll even stop for a while to allow Johnny to pet Ruby. Those were one of Johnny’s favorite days.

Johnny thinks it’s because of pity that finally made Taeyong full on stop to actually converse with him.

“Those plants are not gonna make it you know?” He says, eyes fully trained on the plants, if he can even call the wilted once-living things on his window sill that, he still tries to water every morning. It’s a rather sad sight.

“Oh. I don’t really know what to do with them. I know nothing about plants, I mean that’s obvious but yeah.” Johnny says, looking also at the now wet mess.

“I’m good with them,” and Johnny silently agrees, if the amount of greenery on his neighbor’s house is anything to go by. “I can help replant the window sills,” he adds, more quietly this time.

“Oh, please, you don’t have to —”

“Johnny, please, I love plants. I’m doing myself a favor just as much as I am to you.” Taeyong flashes him a kind smile.

And really, how can Johnny say no to that?

And so the next mornings are spent with Johnny and Taeyong working together to clean and uproot the weeds and the dead tulips. Taeyong recommends having snake plants instead as they are easy to take care of and purifies the air. When Johnny accepts the recommendation, it’s after a few days that Taeyong hands Johnny propagated snake leaf cuttings. “From my little snake plants,” he says. Johnny’s heart swells, feels somehow like Taeyong is giving him a part of him, which Johnny thinks is dumb because  _ jesus Johnny, its just a plant _ , but the thought stays and  _ god _ , he feels like he’s back in high school harboring those crushes that just make you a different kind of stupid.

_ Feelings make people dumb _ , he’s concluded.

Johnny’s not much help, it’s mostly Taeyong who does the work, so Johnny resorts to providing breakfast and coffee. Johnny discovers Taeyong, like most things, likes his coffee sweet and creamy. He files that information away for safe-keeping.

There’s something about Taeyong eating breakfast with him after doing dirty work on the yard that makes Johnny so giddy, the domesticity of it all not lost on him. Sure, it’s not like they talk about their schedule and plans for the day, it’s really mostly just silence, but it’s not suffocating and Taeyong seems to be enjoying the pancakes and the french toasts and the omelettes that Johnny prepares so that’s a win in his book.

(Jaehyun later tell him his books aren’t very reliable but he’s happy for him anyways)

Even after they have finished transforming Johnny’s front yard to something more acceptable and eye-friendly from the mess before, the breakfast arrangement just... stuck. 

Sometimes, Taeyong would stop by Johnny’s, Ruby in tow, and just eat breakfast together. Taeyong claims it was the omelettes. Johnny likes to believe it's his company. On days when Johnny looks like shit and is obviously tired from a night of typing away, bags heavy under his eyes, his movements a lot sluggish than usual, Taeyong volunteers to cook. Taeyong, he learns, makes a mean doenjang jjigae. He finishes two bowls, and Taeyong looks pleased from where he’s sitting across Johnny (and if Johnny makes a show of eating Taeyong’s food extra well complete with hums and sounds of approval just to see that look on his neighbor more often, well that’s no one’s business but his).

On days when Johnny visits the gym, it’s also become a common occurrence for Taeyong to hitch a ride back. Johnny always plays his car ride playlist, and Taeyong is always just silent from the passenger seat. They will always stop by Nana’s, Taeyong waiting in the car, while Johnny gets his afternoon coffee and some sweets for him and his neighbor.

But Taeyong’s impassiveness in the car slowly turns into silent bopping of the head when a more upbeat song plays or humming when he knows the melody. Sometimes, he’ll spare a comment or a question about a song he’s curious about. There are days, too, when Taeyong will go with Johnny inside the cafe, insist on paying for Johnny’s coffee and dessert while he picks out a sweet concoction for himself. 

The days Johnny likes the most is when Taeyong isn’t in a rush to go home and would suggest that they have their coffee and afternoon sweets in the cafe itself. They will find a quiet booth in a corner, sit across each other and just enjoy each other’s company in silence. It’s comfortable and it’s nice and sometimes, Johnny’s lizard brain will tell him,  _ this is how it’s gonna look like when you guys date. _ Johnny deems himself lucky that Taeyong never catches him with a blush creeping up his neck.

Taeyong likes people watching, his eyes always observing the people in the cafe, or the lives of the people outside. Johnny, on the other hand, likes Taeyong-watching—a hobby consisting of trying to observe his neighbor and not getting caught.

Some of his noteworthy discoveries include:

  * Taeyong likes stuffing food in his cheeks (which leads to the subsequent discovery: It takes Johnny an ungodly amount of effort to not lean in and just poke his cheeks or pinch it, or just anything really because pretty Taeyong is a sight, sure, but cute chipmunk Taeyong, with his cheeks all puffed and eyes all wide, is another thing entirely and Johnny feels like he’s gonna turn to putty)
  * Taeyong, when he’s concentrating really, really hard, which happens more often than not when he’s watching people live their lives through the glass window of the cafe, holds his breath and it only concerns Johnny a little bit when Taeyong’s unusually quiet with little huffs of breathe in between
  * The most noteworthy though, is Taeyong’s habit of biting his nails, especially when he’s spaced out and the reaction he makes when he catches himself, like a deer caught in headlights, his eyes judging his hands as if they just did something really wrong, makes Johnny want to coo



There are days though, where he feels the heavy eyes of Taeyong on him instead, his gaze unreadable and guarded, but then it’s gone in an instant, his neighbor flashing him a small smile before he continues on with his creamy coffee and people watching.

There are burning questions at the back of his brain, questions he tries to find answers to when it's late at night and he can’t sleep, searching for them at the cracks on the ceiling, as if staring at them long enough will magically make answers appear. But, there is apprehension in Johnny’s chest and he’s willing to suffer a bit more through his curiosity than to risk breaking this whatever fragile thing that’s between them right now. He’ll only take whatever Taeyong will willingly give, and they have a lot of time so he keeps his quiet, locks the question in a drawer on his brain, and just enjoys the moment. 

Johnny, in contrast, is an open book. He’ll tell Taeyong stories sometimes on the ride home, or little tidbits of memories he happens to come across while driving. Mostly, they’re about the city life, how different it is to where he is now. Sometimes he’ll talk about his friends, share stories about them, would tell Taeyong all about Mark and how he successfully managed to woo a certain Japanese guy, or all about Ten’s work, proudly gushing about him like a proud dad would when talking about their child. Sometimes, it’s about Jaehyun, who got himself through university with no support from his parents and lots of sleepless nights and part time jobs. 

On times like these, he can see Taeyong from his peripheral, his eyes on Johnny, his hand on his mouth as he bites his nails, leaning just the slighted bit forward, listening intently. It’s a good feeling, knowing someone is listening and is interested and so he appreciates the gesture a lot.

Unknowingly to him, Taeyong has made its way to the daily musings of Johnny’s life and it takes a question from Doyoung for the realization to dawn on him.

“I—How did you even know?” Johnny asks back instead.

“Taeyong keeps talking about you so I assume you guys are spending time together.” 

“I mean, we do, but backtrack, you talk to Taeyong?” 

“Yes? Is that such a foreign concept?”

“Wait, no, I mean, I’ve never seen Taeyong here?”

“Johnny, phones exist. You know phone calls and texts? We do that.” Doyoung is just looking at him dumbly, an exasperated sigh on his lips.

When Doyoung catches the look on Johnny’s face, like he’s trying to solve a puzzle with a missing piece, he spells it out for him.

“Me, Taeyong, we are friends. We talk.” The missing puzzle piece reappears and it finally clicks on Johnny’s brain. Doyoung continues, “and as of recently, Taeyong would not shut up about you.”

There are butterflies,  _ no, _ a fucking zoo would be more appropriate, on Johnny’s stomach.  _ Taeyong talks about him. To his friend. _ Johnny wants to squeal.

Doyoung isn’t one to know about Johnny’s internal struggle as of the moment so he continues on.

“--and like, for some reason, I, too am also invested in Jaehyun and Ten. I knew there was something there when they visited here!” 

Johnny tries his best to refocus on the conversation at hand. He’s successful. Somewhat. There is still a stampede going on in his guts but he can also now manage to understand what Doyoung is saying. So yeah, success. Somewhat.

While Doyoung rambles on, he sees a familiar figure with a big gym bag walking on the street opposite them. Taeyong catches his eye, and smiles. Johnny waves.

When he turns his stare back to Doyoung, the latter has already gone silent, a grin spread across his lips.

“What?” Johnny asks. 

Doyoung just grins wider, his gums now showing, and simply, “nothing.”

He can't help but feel like he’s just missed something.

  
  
  
  


It’s not a particularly good day. Johnny has woken up late, he has run out of coffee beans and most importantly, he’s just received an email from his editor. It was, to put it simply, bad.

And now, here he is, in the gym, aggressively working out his anger. It’s working, somewhat, but there is still an itch for him to just, you know,  _ scream _ , but he can kind of control it,  _ somewhat _ , so yes, he supposes, it's working as a distraction.

He’s bone-tired when he finishes—he did extra sets just to burn off excess steam—and pretty out of it, he almost forgets about Taeyong. He is only a  _ little _ shocked to see a freshly showered Taeyong enter the lockers before his brain supplies that his neighbor works here.

He nods in lieu of greeting and Taeyong nods back. It's quiet, the type of quiet that usually accompanies them, as Johnny waits for Taeyong to finish and they make their way to his car.

The tension in Johnny’s shoulder must still be present because Taeyong asks him once he plugs the aux to his phone, “Hey, are you alright?”

Johnny just sends a weak smile before he’s off driving to Nana’s.

When they arrive, Taeyong instantly beelines for the counter, Johnny just behind him.

“One slice of carrot cake for him, and the macaron set for me. Also a large iced Americano with extra shot, and one large iced caramel macchiato.”

Johnny is surprised that Taeyong knows his coffee order. Well, he supposes it’s not something really complicated but it's still a nice gesture.

“Uh yes, for here please.” Taeyong only answers a faint “i’m not busy” when Johnny raises an eyebrow at him.

They wait for their order at the booth they usually take up when it's free, a quaint booth with 2 large, soft, and comfy chairs and a small circle table on the far-side of the cafe that overlooks the street with its large windows. It's quiet and private and comfortable and just, nice.

When their order gets called, Taeyong is quick on his feet and just tells Johnny to stay while he gets their food. A change up on their usual routine, but a nice one.

They sit in their own blanket of quiet, the way they usually do, while they munch on their food. Taeyong watching people live their own lives and Johnny, well. Johnny’s mind is still elsewhere, on the email he received earlier if we want to go on the specifics, that he doesn’t even notice that he’s already finished his americano and has just been sipping on nothing but a weird mix of ice water and air.

“You know, the shop facing us used to be an ice cream parlor.” 

Taeyong’s voice reels back Johnny’s mind to reality.

“I’m sorry, what?” He finally lets go of the chewed up straw he doesn’t even realize he’s been nibbling on.

“The bookshop facing the cafe, that used to be an ice cream parlor.” 

“Oh,” Johnny muses.He’s got zero idea where this conversation is going, but Taeyong’s voice is a nice distraction from the voices in his head already screaming at him about all the things he should’ve done better on the manuscript he’s sent his editor.

He tries to read the sign Taeyong is looking at. _ Book And Cranny _ , the sign reads in bold, black letters

“Yeah, Krema, it was called. It was owned by this nice couple, the Jungs. It was so cute and nice and colorful, complete with the 50’s themed booths.” He pauses to look at the bookshop that’s now replaced the previous establishment. Johnny wishes he can see what Taeyong is envisioning now too.

“It was really sad when they passed and no one inherited the business. It was its own thing here, already you know?” Johnny gives a solemn nod when Taeyong directs his gaze to him. “We used to frequent it every Friday, after class, me and Doyoung. I’d order a scoop of rocky road and Doyoung would order a scoop of mango.”

This is new. This is something they haven’t done yet. They’ve talked, sure, but it was Johnny who was always doing the talking. Johnny is always the one giving and giving and  _ giving.  _ And that’s fine. Johnny’s okay with that little set-up. But this, well, Johnny certainly hasn't expected the afternoon to go this way. With Taeyong sharing stories about him and Doyoung back from their middle school days and yet here they are. But Johnny will take whatever Taeyong is willing to give him so take he does.

He commits to memory the stories Taeyong dishes out one by one. 

How Doyoung once got locked outside his house, and when Taeyong saw and laughed, Doyoung punched him in the face. 

The story of how he and Doyoung once got into this big petty fight that instantly ended when Doyoung bought him his favorite melon bread as a peace offering. 

How they both tried biking for the first time which ended in both of them tripping on themselves and then subsequently, crying while holding their bloody and bruised knees and elbows (Taeyong says they bowed to never bike again without safety gear after that incident). 

Then there are stories that get tangled and muddle up in each other, when Taeyong’s memories don’t come as clear to him, and he’d backtrack every now and then to correct certain parts. Or he’d laugh at himself for getting things wrong (Johnny doesn’t fail to notice how adorable his neighbor is when he does so and how dumb stupid his heartbeat goes when he starts hearing the breathy little giggle Taeyong lets up every now and then).

Johnny takes it all in, palms open, waiting and ready. 

He listens intently and carefully observes Taeyong, too. Takes note of how he likes telling stories with his hands. How he likes adding his own little sound effects. How he prolongs the last syllables of his sentences. How his eyes get bigger and more alive when he gets more excited. Takes note of the way his voice, despite the growing noise in the cafe, anchors Johnny to his seat and gives him a sense of comfort.

Soon, they’ve lost track of time. It's dark by the time they are finished with their food and drinks and yet, like all things Taeyong related, Johnny wishes for more. The drive back home is quiet, but comfortable. Kehlani’s voice fills the car and Johnny drums his fingers to the beat on the steering wheel while Taeyong taps his feet, his head against the window of the car. 

They part ways like usual, but not without Johnny muttering a sincere “thanks” on Taeyong’s way. The latter just flashes him a smile before hopping out the car.

Johnny spends the rest of the evening like this:

He connects his phone to his bluetooth speaker and allows The Weeknd to fill the spaces of the house. He cooks himself a small dinner and partners it up with a cool can of beer while watching a film with good reviews on Netflix. By the time it finishes, it's well late into the night already and so he makes quick work of cleaning the mess he made earlier in the kitchen and washes the dishes. He takes a quick shower. Lays on his bed. Spends another good hour browsing through his Twitter feed and laughing at Ten’s shitposting. Then he sleeps—a nice, long, good sleep that leaves people smiley, happy and glowing the next day.

What Johnny didn’t do however was this:

Think again about that stupid  _ goddamned _ e-mail again for the rest of the evening.

He thinks,  _ no,  _ he  _ knows _ how great Taeyong’s effect on him is.  _ Knows _ his heart just fucking ran over his logic with a 10-wheeler truck and  _ knows  _ damn well that this little  _ crush  _ that he has (god he hates calling it a crush, he’s 28 years old for fuck’s sake) is very,  _ very, _ quickly blossoming into something more and he wants to slow down, really, he does, but Taeyong is a camp fire in the middle of nowhere at 12 fucking am and Johnny is the stupid,  _ stupid  _ moth that can’t help but gravitate towards its own inevitable demise. 

The warning signs all flash in red and all Johnny’s worm-for-brains mind registers is:  _ Wow! Bright colors! _

Because yes, he knows the campfire can burn  _ and _ kill his foolish metaphorical moth self, but he’d be damned if he didn't say that it's pretty and warm and just so,  _ so  _ nice.

The next day when Johnny goes out to water the snake plants that he and Taeyong planted, there is a vase of some plant cuttings on water sitting on his porch with a note that reads:

_ Hi Johnny! _

_ Here are some spider plants, I propagated them from mine! They’re easy to take care of, just change their water every now and then and trim it from time to time. I find they’re great indoor friends and listen really well to all sorts of rants. _

_ Cheer up! _

_ \--TY _

On the backside of the note is a nice doodle of Spongebob and Johnny’s heart honest to god stutters where its placed and he’s smiling like an idiot, all teeth and gums, his cheeks pink, all because of a fucking plant.

He thinks maybe he was right. Maybe Taeyong really is an angel and not a human after all.

If Johnny really is his metaphorical moth self, he supposes it’s worth the risk of burning to enter the circle of warmth of the metaphorical Taeyong campfire.

For Taeyong, it’s worth it. _Always_ worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! I'm sorry for quite the gap, but alas i am back! i took a mini mental health break and also got reeaaaaallllyyy into baking and kimchi making lol so that took up most of my tiiime
> 
> i hope you are all fine and well and happy and healthy!
> 
> here's chapter 6,,, i hope y'all like it ^^
> 
> scream at me here too(only if u want):  
> twitter: [@johnnyminnie1](https://twitter.com/johnnyminnie1)  
> cc:[ johnnyloveb0t ](https://curiouscat.qa/johnnyloveb0t)

**Author's Note:**

> i edited some parts!!! also btw sorry for this, this is like my first time trying to actually write something serious so yeah :->
> 
> scream at me here:  
> twitter: @johnnyminnie1  
> cc: johnnyloveb0t


End file.
